1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to frequency dividers, and more particularly to programmable frequency dividers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Frequency dividers used in high speed circuits are often required to provide a variety of different output frequencies from a single input frequency. One method of providing these different frequencies involves using a number of individual divider circuits that each apply different divide ratios to the input signal. The output of one of the divider circuits is then selected to provide the final output. A drawback of using multiple divider circuits in this way, however, is that undesired capacitive loads may be imposed on the signal being divided. These undesired capacitance loads may be particularly troublesome when dealing with high frequency clock signals. Additionally, using multiple divider circuits may require additional power, and in some cases additional chip area, resulting in an increase in production costs.